Egg carton



April 27, 1937. J: WALSH 2,

EGG CARTON Filed Ot. 28, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l M uunilml JOfLIZE WCZZS Z, Wm t] IMAM/We April 27, 1937; J. E. WALSH 2,078,430

EG G CARTON I Filed Oct. 28, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 27, 1937. J. E. WALSH 2,078,430

EGG CARTON 7 Filed Oct. 28, 1935 v 5 Sheets-Sheet s Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STATES EGG CARTON John E. Walsh, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Self- Locking Carton Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 28, 1933, Serial No. 695,573

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to cellular cartons of the type customarily employed for packaging eggs and other fragile articles, and has particular reference to improvements in cartons of the so-called shoe box style.

Cellular cartons of the shoe box style are advantageous from many standpoints, including their cheapness and ease of manufacture. These cartons generally comprise an ordinary structure of rectangular cross section and end pieces which are variously glued together to form a container, the top portion being joined to one of the walls and closed by folding a flap thereon downwardly adjacent the front wall. To form cells in the carton the ordinary types of fillers are usually employed. However, these cartons have the disadvantage of being fiat bottomed, and consequently afford little protection to eggs carried therein. An example of this latter structure is tobe had in United States Letters Patent No. 1,892,612, issued on December 27, 1932, wherein the front and rear sections of the bottom section are divided and suspended permanently over cross partitions which are glued to the front and rear walls.

A principal object of the present invention is the provision of a cushion style carton of the socalled shoe box style which is easy to manufacture, easy to erect and which provides a high degree of safety or protection for eggs carried therein.

An additional object is to provide a carton of the so-called shoe box style which is easy to erect from collapsed position into erect position.

These and other objects will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of a modified form of the carton;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a second modified form of the carton constituting the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section taken through the center of the carton shown in Fig. '7, as represented by the line 8-8 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line III-I0 of Fig. 9.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the carton consists of an outer container of box-like forma-' tion and an inner cell-forming filler. The outer container is formed by suitably cutting, scoring and folding a blank of paper to form a front looking strip I0, a front cover portion I I, a front wall I2, a front bottom section I3, a front longitudinal partition section I4, a. rear longitudinal partition section I5, a rear bottom section I6, a rear wall II, a rear cover portion I8, a rear cover locking strip I9, the ends of the box being formed by projections and 2| on the rear wall being adhesively secured to similar projections 22 and 23 on the front wall. The different elements of the carton as specified are suitably separated by longitudinal score lines which permit an easy folding of the carton.

Within the carton the filler is formed by a rear longitudinally-extending strip 24 and a similar front longitudinally-extending strip 25 which preferably rest on the bottom of the carton and are adjacent but spaced from the rear and front walls, respectively. Interlocked with the filler strips 24 and 25 are a series of cross partitions 2,6 which extend adjacent the front and rear walls. These partitions are provided with slots 21 and openings 28 for engaging with the filler strips, the slots 28 being interlocked with corresponding hooks 29 on the filler strips 24 and 25. In this manner the cross partitions are interlocked into corresponding positions on the filler strips, thereby being regularly spaced and forming cells for the receipt of eggs. Also, the cross partitions are maintained in their respective positions by the filler strips. Inward movement of the front and rear walls I2 and I1 is prevented by engagement of the cross partitions 26 therewith, whereby the filler strips 24 and 25 are protected.

The upper central portion of the cross partitions are provided with a series of openings 30 which are adapted toreceive the cover locking strips I 0 and I9. As will be seen from Fig. 3, the carton is closed by pressing the cover portions II and I8 downwardly so that the cover locking strips I0 and I9 are engaged in the openings 30 to maintain the cover in closed position.

In accordance with the present invention, the bottoms of the cross partitions are cut away into inverted V-shape, a narrow upwardly-extending slot being provided at the apex of the V for engaging the longitudinal partition sections and holding them together. The bottom sections 53 and iii are drawn upwardly in inverted V-shape and the longitudinal partition sections which are joined to the inner edges of the bottom sections are suspended from the cross partitions by means of hook portions 3i engaging the shoulders formed by the openings 32 in the cross partitions. It will be seen that the bottom sections slope upwardly and inwardly to form a cushion bottom, and meet at the center of the carton, extending upwardly from this point in contiguous relation to provide a double layer longitudinal partition. The longitudinal partition is interlocked to and suspended from the cross partitions which themselves are separate from the remainder of the carton. The weight of eggs placed in the carton causes a strain to be placed upon the bottom and consequently upon the longitudinal partitions. In the structure specified this weight is transferred to the cross partitions alone, and I have found that by this structure the vertical walls are relieved of considerable strain. The front and rear filler strips 2 and 25 which are interlocked with the cross partitions constitute bracing elements for the latter, as will be seen from Fig. 3.

As will be seen in the drawings, the end structures of the carton are of rectangular shape and the lower edges thereof rest on a flat surface upon which the carton is positioned, thereby providing additional bracing means. From the exterior of a carton of this type, it cannot be determined that the carton is cushion bottomed without raising the carton and examining the under part thereof.

It is possible to collapse the carton by folding the end structures outwardly along a vertical line at their center and to press the front and rear walls of the carton together, thereby causing the bottom and longitudinal partition section to extend upwardly. This causes the longitudinal partition section to extend beyond the top edge of the front and rear walls. The carton is easily erected by interlocking the separate filler with the upwardly-extended longitudinal partition, the front and rean walls then being separated to retract the longitudinal partition and to draw the filler into the carton, the filler assuming its proper position as shown in Fig. 1. To assist in assembling and erecting the filler and carton, the longitudinal partition is cut away, as at to form a cross partition-receiving opening opposite the hooks 35, whereby the cross partitions may be inserted in advance of the position of the hooks and moved into interlocking relationship with the latter.

As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the outer container is provided with a cover locking strip, a single cover M, a rear wall 32, a rear bottom sec tion 3, a front bottom section 441, and a front wall 5. The end structure of the carton is formed by folding and gluing sections it and 41 which are attached to and integral with the rear and front walls, respectively. A separate filler is employed in connection with the outer container and consists of a rear filler strip 48, a front filler strip 39, a middle or partition-forming strip 58 and a series of cross partitions 5| which are interlocked therewith to form eggreceiving cells. The front and rear filler strips are spaced from. the respective outer walls to provide added protection for eggs contained in l the cross partitions 52.

the carton. In this modification of the carton, the bottom sections 43 and 4d are drawn upwardly towards the center of the carton to form a substantially inverted V. At the line of jointure of the bottom sections 43 and M are provided a series of openings. The bottom section is suspended from the separate longitudinal partition by extending hooks 52 from the latter through the openings in the bottom section. When eggs are placed in the carton their weight causes a downward pressure on the'bottom sections, which pressure is transferred through the hooks 5! to the longitudinal partition 5&1 and to The latter are supported independent of the front and rear walls of the carton and are supported instead thereof upon the filler strips 48 and 49.

In this modification the single cover is closed by pressing the cover locking strip ll] downwardly between the cross partitions and the front wall, as shown in Fig. 6, the friction of these elements pressing upon the cover locking strip being sufficient to maintain the latter in closed position.

The separate longitudinal partition 58 is interlocked both with the bottom section and with the cross partitions. This interlocking with the cross partitions is provided by means of hooks 53 extending through the openings or windows 54 in the cross partitions. A vertical slot 55 is provided in the top of the cross partitions to receive the longitudinal partitions 5B. In many uses to which egg cartons may be put the carton is subjected to the hazard of blows from beneath the carton. The cross partitions 50 are of general rectangular shape as distinguished from a shape corresponding to the bottom sections, and extend through the openings 56 in the bottom sections, thereby strengthening the carton transversely. By leaving the cross partitions in rectangular shape, the carton is strengthened against transverse compression. Also, there is less danger in this type of structure of damage occurring to the bottom of the carton.

In the modified form of the carton shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 the outer container is formed of a rear cover locking strip 60, a rear cover 5|, a rear side wall 62, a rear bottom section 53, a front bottom section 64, a front wall 65, a front cover 66 and a front cover locking strip 6'! properly separated by score lines. It will be observed from the drawings that this modification does not include end walls. The outer container consists of a separate, wrapper-like structure which may be folded around the inner container or filler.

The filler consists of a rear filler strip 68, a front filler strip 59 and a series of cross partitions ED interlocked therewith as described hereinbefore to form egg-receiving cells. Suitable openings H are provided in the upper central edges of the cross partitions 10 into which the cover locking strips 6d and 61 may be pressed, as shown in Fig. 9, to close the carton. These cover locking strips assist in forming the longitudinal partition of the carton.

Bottom sections 63 and 64 are of substantially inverted V-shape, and are drawn upwardly and suspended from the 'cross partitions by means of hooks 12 on the lower portion of the cross partitions engaging the bottom sections through openings 13.

This type of carton is desirable from the standpoint of safety and efiiciency in carrying eggs,

and is of particular advantage from the standpoint of erection. To erect the carton, the outer container is folded inside out along its central portion. The inside filler is folded into collapsed position by rotation of the cross partition so that the filler strips 68 and 69 lie in contiguous relation. The filler may be easily erected by merely grasping the top filler strip and allowing the weight of the bottom filler strip to cause the same to rotate into proper position. The outside container is then pressed into the opening between the hooks 12, the complementary halves of the container being folded about the carton in the manner of a wrapper. When this is done, the hooks l2 engage the bottom of the carton through openings 13. Interlocking of the hooks 12 with the openings 13 and of the cover locking strips 60 and 61 with the openings H in the tops of the cross partitions causes the outside Wrapper to be firmly engaged with the filler strip, thereby providing a rigid carton of unusually simple structure. The upraised bottom sections and the downwardly pressed cover locking strips are sufficient to constitute a longitudinal partition which prevents contact of eggs on adjacent sides thereof.

Other modifications of the structure described hereinbefore will occur to those skilled in the art, and all such variations as come within the spirit of my invention are intended to be included in the appended claim.

I claim:

A cellular carton of the type described, comprising an outer container made from a single blank cut, scored and folded to form a cover section, front and rear walls, integral front and rear bottom sections the combined width of which is greater than the distance between the front and rear walls, end sections connecting said front and rear walls together, a separate inside filler having vertical front and rear filler strips adjacent but spaced from the front and rear walls of said outer container, the bottom section along a longitudinal medial line extending inwardly and upwardly to form in cross section substantially an inverted Y, and a series of independent separate cross partitions having adjacent each end a downwardly opening slot receiving and spacing the longitudinal filler strips from the side walls and with an aperture engaged by tongues carried by the filler strips, the said cross partitions also provided with a centrally disposed downwardly opening slot embracing the stem of the inverted Y of the bottom section and upwardly thereof with a centrally disposed aperture receiving tongues formed on the extremity of said stem whereby to suspend the bottom section by the cross partitions.

JOHN E. WALSH. 

